The best Thai Food in NZ

I miss Thai food… a lot! It’s not just the flavours or spicy kick. I miss how easy it was to get. One thing New Zealand could do to improve itself would be to cover every street close to where I work, live and play with quality satisfying street food. Not the hot-dog on stick type but I’d love a Khao Kha Moo stall right next to my house.

Delicious Khao Kha Moo in On Nut, Bangkok

You know a quality meal that is filling and makes you feel like you’ve been slightly healthy. Probably part of my issue is that when I’m at my hungriest the closest place is usually a dairy where the quickest food is junk food.

I remember before we left New Zealand if we wanted to eat Thai food and we would either make it ourselves or go out to a restaurant to eat. Whenever I would eat out I’d always end up getting a curry or something that seemed a bit more complicated to make because I couldn’t bring myself to pay $25 for a plate of Pad Thai. As I would be comparing it to how much a plate of Pad Thai would cost on the streets of Bangkok (45-60 Baht).

But when we returned this time, after 2 years eating Thai food and getting so much variety I knew that I would want that same variety. My concern was that I didn’t think that I’d be able to find it at a reasonable price. As happy as I am to cook my own food, I didn’t get all that much practice while living in Thailand so I’m not super confident or fast at whipping up delicious Thai food (but I have been practising so I’m getting quicker).

But to my surprise I found a chain of places that is pretty authentic with a little kiwi twist. The chain is Thai House Express and they have locations all over the lower North Island but sadly not in Wellington City. So whenever Nic and I get out of the city we always make sure to squeeze in a few meals at one of the branches.

So far we have eaten at branches at in Palmerston North, Masterton, Bulls, Napier, Upper Hutt and New Plymouth. They have all been delicious and piled with veggies (which I kind of take as the kiwi twist).